A new report entitled
Fields of Poison 2002 released by United Farm Workers (UFW), Pesticide
Action Network North America (PANNA) and California Legal Rural Assistance
Foundation (CRLAF) reveals that weak enforcement of pesticide-related
worker health and safety laws remain a serious problem in California.
Recent evaluations by the state's pesticide regulatory agency confirmed
widespread violations of pesticide work safety regulations. Fields of
Poison 2002 further shows that pesticide safety laws fail to protect
many of the state's 700,000 farmworkers from poisonings even when the
laws are apparently followed.

Between 1997 and
2001, California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) staff observed
hundreds of pesticide operations in 20 counties across the state and
found that worker health and safety requirements were violated in over
30% of the inspections. In addition, while DPR data confirm that safety
laws were violated in at least 41% of reported poisonings between 1997
and 2000, Fields of Poison 2002 reveals that enforcement actions such
as warning letters, notices or fines were rarely issued. In fiscal year
2000/2001, counties issued fines in fewer than 20% of confirmed violation
cases, the vast majority for less than $400.

Fields of Poison
2002 further shows that pesticide safety laws often fail to protect
farmworkers even when apparently followed. In at least 38% of confirmed
poisoning cases, no pesticide safety violations were found.
"California's pesticide safety laws are simply not strict enough
to protect the state's farmworkers who get poisoned even when the laws
are followed," said Margaret Reeves, Staff Scientist at PANNA.
"We are clearly failing the people who work hard to put food on
our tables."

More than 75% of
reported poisonings occur either when farmworkers are exposed to pesticides
that drift away from where they are applied, or when workers are exposed
to pesticide residues, often upon re-entering treated fields. Fourteen
of the top 20 pesticides responsible for reported illnesses are among
the most hazardous used in California.

Fields of Poison
2002 documents an annual average of 475 reported farmworker poisoning
cases between 1997 and 2000. Although this is a decrease from the 1991-1996
annual average of 665, the report highlights concerns that underreporting
of poisonings is likely to have increased in recent years due to rising
health care costs, demographic changes in the farmworker population
and serious flaws in poisoning incident investigations.
The greatest number of worker poisonings were reported in Tulare, Fresno,
Monterey and Kern counties. The report documents that the greatest number
of reported farmworker poisonings between 1997 and 2000 were linked
to pesticide use on grapes, soil, oranges and cotton.

"Farmworkers
are still more at risk of pesticide poisoning than any other sector
of society. Lawmakers have told DPR it must prevent low income communities
from bearing the brunt of health risks from pesticides, but the agency
is dragging its heels," Anne Katten, Pesticide and Work Safety
Project Director of CRLAF stated. "The time is long overdue for
DPR to move from counting poisonings and violations to making the fields
safe for workers."

UFW, PANNA and CRLAF
are members of the Californians for Pesticide Reform (CPR) coalition.
Together, these groups demand that DPR and county enforcement officials
take the following immediate actions to protect the health and safety
of California's farmworkers:

Eliminate use
of the most hazardous pesticides and drift-prone application methods
to reduce immediate and chronic pesticide poisonings at their source;

Strengthen enforcement
of existing laws and regulations by significantly raising and routinely
issuing fines for violations; and

Improve farmworkers'
access to pesticide information and healthcare.

Fields of Poison
2002 updates the coalition's 1999 report Fields of Poison that analyzed
reported California farmworker pesticide poisonings from 1991-1996.
The report is available in English and Spanish. To order a copy of Fields
of Poison 2002, call CPR at 1-888-CPR-4880 or visit www.panna.org or
www.pesticidereform.org. For more information contact, Tracey Brieger,
Californians for Pesticide Reform, 415-981-3939, ext. 6 or Pamela Laurence,
PANNA, 415-981-1771, ext. 323.